Engine driven submerged fuel pump



Nov. 27, 1962 T. H. THOMPSON 3,065,784

ENGINE DRIVEN SUBMERGED FUEL PUMP Filed Nov. 25, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7U ENG/NE MMU/PE 7U? IN VEN TOR. 76M H. WOM/250% 1,91 @d Daf Nov. 27, 1962 T. H. THOMPSON 3,065,784

ENGINE DRIVEN SUBMERGED FUEL PUMP Filed Nov. 25, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.y 76M H. WOM/@50M United-States Patent g(,)fiice 3,065,784 Patented Nov. 27, 1962 3,665,784 ENGINE DRIVEN SUBMERGED FUEL PUMP Tom H. Thompson, Carrier 6, Ponce Park,

Daytona Beach, Fla. Filed Nov'. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 698,729

`4 Claims.: (Cl. 15S-36.4)

This invention relates to'a fuel pump for internal combustion engines and the like. More particularly, it relates to a fuel pumping system for supplying fuel, such as gasoline, from a fuel tankto a carburetor or to a fuel injection metering system for the engine.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide such a pumping system.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a pumping system which will push the fuel from the tank to its destination rather than to pull it thereto, that is a system which provides positive' line pressure for fuel delivery rather than negative line pressure. It is well known that vapor lock occurs in negative line pressure systems, and the present invention thus avoids vapor lock.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system in which the fuel pump is submerged in the fuel within the fuel tank, the fuel pump being actuated through means from the engine.

.In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention the fuel pump is completely submerged in the fuel within the fuel tank and is operated through a closed hydraulic system actuated from the engine cam shaft or the like. It is an important object'of the invention to pro-v vide such an arrangement. i

These and other objects `of the invention shall be more apparent from the following description and claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings', 'in

which:

FIG. l is a sectional view of a fuel pump assemblyin accordance with the invention; j f

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the pulse generator of said assembly;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the same;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the pulse pump of said assembly; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the pulse pump looking in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIG. 4.

With reference now more specifically to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, it will be noted that the invention includes a pulse generator 1 having a special bellows 2 adapted to be actuated by a lever 3 pivotally mounted at 4 to a plate 5. In operation, the lever 3 is positioned to be engaged by mechanism (not shown) for actuating the lever at predetermined time intervals. Where the invention is employed as a fuel pump system for internal combustion engines or the like the lever 3 will be actuated conveniently by a cam (not shown) on the engine cam shaft which will be driven at one-half of the engine speed.

The bellows 2 is supported in a housing 6 which advantageously is threaded or otherwise removably secured to the plate 5. The bellows 2 has expansible walls of special construction as will be described, an end 7 terminating in a threaded nipple 8 connecting to an hydraulic fluid line 9, and an actuating end 10 having a rounded protuberance 11 engaged in a concave surface 12 in the inner end of the lever 3.

The walls of the bellows 2 are comprised of a plurality of Belleville spring washers 13 arranged in series. A Belleville spring washer is of frusto-conical shape and will not yield to deformation pressure until an exact pressure is reached, at which time the washer yields suddenly and completely and snaps back to its original position as soon as the pressure drops below a predetermined value.

In the bellows shown `a number of such washers 13 are arranged to form the bellows wall and sealing means are used to join pairs of the washers together at their outer edges. The washers will be arranged in pairs in opposed position, that is to say, with their concave sur-I faces facing each other, and with the lower member of each pair comprising the upper member of an adjacent pair. One form of such bellows is described and shown in myV copending application Serial'No. 698,847, filed November 25, 1957, and now abandoned.

The hydraulic uid line 9 connects with a fuel pump 14 having a bellows 15, one end 16 of which is provided with a passageway 17 connecting with a tube 18 which is joined to the hydraulic uid line 9. The other end of the bellows 15 is closed by a part of a pump piston 19.

The walls of the bellows 15 are comprised advantageously of a series of flat spring metal washers (not Belleville washers) but having their edges joined and sealed together in the same manner already described.

The pump 14 is supported in a cage 20 comprisedof an end 21 and rods 22 and of the tube 18 (already mentioned) and of a bracket plate 23 to which the tube 18 and rods 22 `are-secured as illustrated in FIGS. l, 4 and 5. The bracket plate 23 has a centrally extended portion comprising a cylinder 24 for the piston 19. The cylinder end connects with a fuel outlet 25.

The pump 14 is mounted in a manner to be completely submerged in a fuel tank 26 containing the fuel to be pumped. The drawings (FIG. 1) show the pump 14` as secured on the bottom of the fuel tank 26 through the medium of the-bracket plate 23- with tube 18 for the hydraulic fluid and the outlet 25 for the fuel to be pumped both extending outside of the fuel tank 26. y v

The piston 19 is Aprovided witha cage portion 27 containing a relief valve 28 spring urged into closed position to block a" 'fuel passageway 29 in the pistonproper. ,The pistonintermediate the passageway 29` alsolhas al'ateral intake port 30 'adapted' during most of the travel of the piston to be blocked by the walls of the cylinder 24. If desired the walls of the cylinder can be formed of nylon or the like disposed as a sleeve 31.

Reverting to the bellows 15 it will be noted that the end 16 is threadedly mounted in the end 21 of the pump cage 20 and has a threaded portion 32 extending through the end which is closed with a threaded closure can 33 to provide convenient access for filling and cleaning the hydraulic uid system.

With reference to FIG. 1, it will be observed that the hydraulic iluid system is a completely closed system which includes the bellows 2 of the pulse generator 1, the hydraulic fluid line 9, tube 1S, passageway 17 and the bellows 15 of the pulse pump 14. This hydraulic lluid system should be filled with a suitable uid in such manner that when one of the two bellows of the system is open o-r expanded, the other will be closed or in collapsed position-j@ The system operates in the following manner. Assuming, for example, that it is `desired to pump gasolene from the fuel tank 26 to an engine carburetor (not shown) through a conduit connecting -with the fuel outlet 25, it will be noted that actuation of the pulse generator 1 through periodic actuation of the pivoted lever 3 (by the engine cam shaft) will cause a similar periodic actuation of bellows 2. When bellows 2 is in expanded position such actuation of the lever 3 will cause the bellows walls to be collapsed (as shown in FIG. l). This will force the hydraulic fluid in the closed system from the bellows 2 through the uid line 9, tube 18, passageway 17 and into the bellows 15 in the pulse pump 14 thus expanding the bellows 15 to the position shown in FIG. l.

Movement of bellows 15 as just described will actuate the Ypiston 19 moving it in the cylinder from a position in which intake port 30 is within the fuel tank 26 to a position where it is within the cylinder 24 and blocked by the Walls 31 of the cylinder. Fuel from tank 26 thus is caused to enter the intake port 30, passageway 2,9, and when .the port 30 s blocked by the cylinder wall, will be forced by the piston out through the fuel outlet 25. As shown the bellows 15 are in fully distended position and the piston has travelled into rthe cylinder which has resulted in closing the intake port 3i) and in forcing fuel out of ythe fuel outlet 25. If the product of this pumping action is more than sufficient to meet the demand of the engine, then the excess fuel will lift relief valve 28 off its seat and bypass the surplus amount back to the tank 26.

As soon as the cam which actuates the pivoted lever 3 no longer exerts pressure on thelever, the Belleville spring washers ofthe bellows 2 will snap back to original expanded position and aided by the spring action of the washers of ybellows 15, will cause all of the hydraulic fluid in the system to return to its original position.

Continued actuation of the lever 3 will thus cause a lluid pulsing to be transmitted to the pump proper through the bellows and the hydraulic uid line.

In connection with the principal embodiment which employs the :use of a`closed hydraulic uid actuating s ystern, and also vin any modification which involves the positive actuation of vthe lpump in the fuel tank, it 'will be noted that the yfuelmis delivered through positive line pres- -sure,-t hat iS, it is pushed rather `than pulled `as would be the case in the usual negative line pressure systems. This arrangement will avoid the possibility ,ofvapor lock which .occurs in negative line pressure systems for delivering fuel -to internal combustion engines and lthe like.

vThe arrangement here described lends itself admirably to `a multitude of -uses other than those referred to in this disclosure. For example, the power transmitting systerncan be employed to actuate windshield wipers and washers, vdevices for raising and lowering ywindows'in .automobiles and airplanes, land, .in tact; in many `other applications wherever ,an inexpensive but simple and aclcurate remote power operated device is needed.

It is apparent that some changes in the invention disclosed may be made without departing from the invention. The description and drawings show a preferred embodiment but the invention is not to be limited thereto except as may be indicated by the language in the claims which follow.

I claim:

l. A fuel supply system for internal combustion engine comprising va lfuel tank, a fuel pump within said tank, closed circuit hydraulic driving means for driving said pump, and a fuel delivery line leading away from the outlet ofsaid fuel pump; said fuel pump comprising a cylinder having anoutlet port, a piston in a position within said tank to be submerged in the contents of the tank and extending into one end of the cylinder and driven reciprocally in said cylinder by said hydraulic driving means, the piston having a port leading to the interior of the cylinder from a point on the surface of the piston which point is exposed to the contents of the tank during the intake stroke of the piston and is closed by the cylinder Wall during the pumping stroke.

2. The fuel supply system of claim 1 wherein the closed circuit hydraulic system comprises a bellows dtrivingly connected to said pump and hydraulic means for alternately expanding and contracting said bellows.

3. The l fuel supply system of claim 2 in which the means `for alternately expanding 'and contracting said bellows comprises ,ya `reciprocal fluid pump remote from the first bellows and`me`ans for transmitting fluid pumped by said purnp to and from ,said bellows.

'.4. The V-fuel supply system vof claim 1 further comprising an internal combustion engine which receives its fuel kfrom said v fuel delivery line and supplies power for said closed circuit hydraulic system.

yReferences Cited in the `file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 

